My understanding of Professor Gardner’s views on the …..

*Specially for you some developmental ideas for becoming future ready………..MINDFULLY!!

There was a time when people could claim they had “finished” their education and thus moved on to professional life.

Today on the contrary, learning is an essential part of just about any job.

Imagine if a computer repairman, a doctor, a librarian or a teacher decided she/he was done learning just a decade ago.

The results would be disastrous and I’m sure there’s no room for a contradiction here.

Give it a thought…………………

The modern world is unpredictable.

The whirlwind of technology changes our lives so quickly that there’s no way to anticipate how the future will look.

And thus,

Cultivating one’s mind is more important than anything else one can do to prepare for one’s personal and professional success. It is essential to create the mental infrastructure to thrive in any environment.

That’s the only way to get ready for what comes next.

Professor Howard Gardner’s book Five Minds for the Future focuses on the most important ways to cultivate one’s mind for future success.

Through this book…….

Professor Gardner points out at the interconnected nature of the World we live in today and thus feels that it is not enough for each individual or group needs to survive on its own turf.

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

The world of the future ……will demand capacities that until now have been mere options.

Identifying and promoting the development of these necessary ‘capacities of mind’ is therefore the core purpose of this book

Showing a shift from his earlier work in naming and describing various ‘intelligences’ Professor Gardner uses the concept of ‘mind’ to refer not to the distinct ways of knowing but to the broad uses of the mind that anyone may cultivate, employ and master.

He presents a list of the five key capacities he sees as most necessary for humans to thrive in the future:

•The Disciplinary Mind

•The Synthesising Mind

• The Creating Mind

• The Respectful Mind

• The Ethical Mind

The Disciplined MindThe disciplined mind has mastered at least one way of thinking – a distinctive mode of cognition that characterizes a specific scholarly discipline, craft or profession.

People need to know how to do at least one thing really well. The ability to focus and develop a deep knowledge will help anyone stand out from the generalists.

Development Idea Research shows that becoming an expert takes around ten years or 10,000 hours of focused work. If you know what you want to excel at, set aside daily time to develop your abilities. If not, take a few moments to contemplate your passions.

The Synthesising Mind

The synthesizing mind takes information from disparate sources, understands and evaluates that information objectively, and puts it together in ways that make sense to the synthesizer and also to other persons.

Development IdeaTake note of new-to-you ideas, theories, and events whenever you’re reading or having a discussion. Then, watch to see where you hear about them a second time. It is surprising when you read about something for the first time and then see references to related topics three or four times during the following week. Combining this additional information helps one to have a deeper understanding of the whole.

The Creating MindThe creating mind breaks new ground. It puts forth new ideas, poses unfamiliar questions, conjures up fresh ways of thinking, arrives at unexpected answers.

If you have a creative mind, you can think of ways to change your own circumstance for the better and contribute cures, ideas, and products to global society.

People who can create have the ability to change the world.

Development Idea

Watch just about any young child playing and you’ll see that creativity comes naturally. If you haven’t developed this trait as an adult, the best way to get started is by experimenting. Try new things, play around. Don’t be afraid to look silly or fail.

The Respectful Mind

The respectful mind notes and welcomes differences between human individuals and between human groups, tries to understand these “others,” and seeks to work effectively with them.

Development Idea

The more people one knows, the easier it is for one to value and respect ideas that are different from ones own. Visiting other countries and communities and meeting new faces can help us become more welcoming of differences.

The Ethical Mind

The ethical mind ponders the nature of one’s work and the needs and desires of the society in which he lives. This mind conceptualizes how workers can serve purposes beyond self-interest and how citizens can work unselfishly to improve the lot of all.

Development Idea

Thinking ethically is the unselfish trait. You benefit from living in a world where people do right by each other’s standards.

To Summarise…..

This book indeed offers a theoretical framework for educators, leaders and, probably all citizens, to recognize and respond to the world we all share and shall be facing in the future.

Without developing the capacities of the five minds, Gardner fears, we will not be able to adequately address – or even understand – the problems and opportunities before us and therefore calls upon his readers to acknowledge and attend to our common challenges and shared fate as members of a global society.

In Conclusion…………